Broad spectrum light emitting semiconductor devices have conventionally been fabricated by exciting a luminous substance with a relatively narrow spectrum light source. Conventionally, in such devices a light emitting diode (LED) or laser emits light in a narrow spectrum that is shifted and/or spread (i.e. converted) to provide a broader spectrum of light or a device with an output spectrum shifted from one range of the spectrum to another (e.g. blue to yellow, blue to green or to blue-green, or the like). Typically, it is desirable to provide white light from a narrow spectrum light source, such as an LED or laser. Such white light sources are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,245,259, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference as if set forth fully herein.
Conventional broad spectrum or converting light emitting devices are typically fabricated by mounting a narrow spectrum semiconductor light source on a submount and encapsulating the light source and the submount in a luminous material that provides the shift and/or spread to the light to a broader spectrum. The submount is typically configured to provide a “cup” that holds the luminous material and may provide a reflective surface. Contacts between the semiconductor light source are typically provided by the submount. Such techniques may limit the minimum size of a broad spectrum light emitting device and/or utilize several steps in manufacturing broad spectrum light emitting devices. Furthermore, such resulting devices may be less than optimal in certain applications, for example, in chip-on-board applications.